Church

St John the Baptist Church, South Witham

Welcome to St John the Baptist, our beautiful, ancient church situated in the heart of South Witham.

OUR COMMUNITY

We live and worship within our village community, partnering with churches at North Witham, Castle Bytham, Little Bytham, Careby and Creeton.

Our core congregation is on the smaller side – we prefer the term intimate! - but we are warm, and welcoming and open our doors to anyone who would like to join us no matter their own personal situation, status or beliefs. If you are calling in for the first time or just passing through then please introduce yourself to our churchwarden and vergers, and you will be assured of a warm welcome.

We are part of a wider community and are involved with various aspects of village life. We have close connections with the local primary school and take part in village events. We also hold concerts throughout the year to raise much-needed funds for maintaining our buildings and open our doors for fundraising activities such as coffee mornings.

We consider our community to be wider than that on our doorstep. We have links with Farm Africa, to which the proceeds from our Harvest Auction have been sent for some years, and more recently with the local Food Bank in Grantham – this year the monetary collection at the Harvest Festival was sent to Farm Africa, and the non-perishable offerings were given to the Food Bank.

SERVICES, WORSHIP, FAMILY EVENTS AND SUPPORT

We are an Anglican church, part of the Church of England, though we welcome people of all denominations to worship with us.  Several other Christian denominations are represented among our regular communicants. 

Services are held every Sunday. Throughout the month we offer services of Holy Communion at 11.00 am on the first Sunday and on the fourth Sunday we offer a less formal service of Morning Praise. A collection is made from the congregation during these services but please do not feel obliged to make an offering, the only thing we ask you to bring with you is an open mind and a willingness to join in. Details of times of services can be found on the notice board outside the church, in the Witham Word, or by phoning Christal Medcalf or Hannah Godbert on the numbers below.

Throughout the year we celebrate the times that mark the changing calendar – Easter, Harvest, Remembrance Sunday and Christmas are all times that can draw people to church who might not attend on a regular basis throughout the rest of the year.

From November to Candlemas, we also have a Tree of Light erected within the church, providing a place where you can leave a tribute to those family members who are no longer with us.

Refreshments are available after each service and we hope that you will be able to stay for a while for a coffee and a chat, we are a warm and welcoming group and always have biscuits on hand, for adults as well as children – squash is available for them, too!

Family life and its milestones are one of the cornerstones and great pleasures of church life. We welcome those who wish to celebrate baptisms and weddings with us and are happy to advise you on the arrangements that need to be made.

Pastoral support is there for anyone who needs it. We will help in any way that we can, even if that is to just provide a friendly and supportive shoulder for you to lean on.

THE BUILDING

We are accessible for those with disability issues, though please be aware that we do not have toilet facilities on-site at the moment.

Sadly, like many churches in these times, we are no longer able to have a literal open-door policy. However, if you wish to access the church outside of service times, whether that is for a period of quiet contemplation, or if you would like to explore our beautiful building and its history then please contact us and we will be more than happy to come and unlock the door for you. You are also welcome to consult the Parish Registers if you are researching your family history.

OUR TEAM

Though we consider all members of the congregation to make up the church it is useful to know a little about the people who have specific roles.

We are very fortunate to have a Lay Minister, Chris Medcalf.

Our churchwardens are Christal and Hannah they will be one of the people who will greet you at the door and show you around. They take the time to prepare the church for worship each week and also ring the bells when none of the other bellringers are available.

Our beautiful organ is played each week by either Cintra or Isobel to accompany our hymns. Both have an established background in music.

Members of the congregation take on the roles of vergers, readers, flower arrangers, and the all-important tea and coffee preparation for each service, following a rota system. If you would like to get involved then please let our churchwarden know and she will be happy to arrange that for you.

CONTACTING US

Church Warden:                Christal Medcalf - 01572 767664

Church Warden:                Hannah Godbert - 01572 767951